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A New York City Health and Beauty Blog

Spa Castle: Maybe Not Technically a Spa, But Completely Awesome

May 25, 2011

If you’ve ever taken a Lamaze class, you’ve experienced the concept of the “happy place,” an imaginary perfect-location in your head to which you retreat to manage potential unpleasantness. Mine was always a open-facility spa that had amazing little pools all over the place on the top of a mountain, but thinking of it made me feel conflicted because it didn’t, to my knowledge, exist.

Then I read about Spa Castle. It took me eons to find a willing companion to go with me out to Queens (Queens!) to visit the spa wonderland, but I finally influenced my cousin Tricia. One caveat, though- while Spa Castle has some spa-like elements, this isn’t a Mandarin Oriental or even an Oasis. It’s an open admission Korean-style bathhouse, known also as a jjimjilbang.

If you’re into this sort of thing, you will probably be jealous to learn that such places are a staple of Korean life. This is how it works- $35 ($45 on weekends) gains you admission for the day. At the door, you receive an electronic wristlet similar to a watch. And you check your modesty, figuratively.

The first area you enter is the locker rooms, and if you’re not accustomed to nudity, brace yourself. Your new bracelet opens a locker, and you go to the locker room check in for a uniform. (Bring a bathing suit.) Attire can be a bit awkward, because it’s mostly nude on the ground floor, uniforms on the second, and bathing suits through the rest- which means a lot of peeling off wet somethings-or-other.

To the right, after you strip, is a big room with four baths in the center. Lining the walls are more pools, including an icy 54 degree plunge pool, and several massage stalls. There are also showers, seated and standing, and an area for the infamous full-body scrubs. This room is entirely nude, no bathing suits allowed, and looks somewhat like an ancient Greek painting. (No pictures permitted, for obvious reasons.)

As an esthetician, states of undress are not unsettling to me, but it still took a good half hour to get used to the idea. We held off on the locker room and went to the main floor, which houses a sushi bar, salad bar, a Starbucks, and several treatment areas. Treatments here are pricey, and we skipped them, but there is a full range of mani/pedi and massage services.

Also on the main floor is part of Spa Castle’s charm- a Hobbit-like village of saunas. I’m a water person, and as such didn’t spend too much time here. The saunas include an infrared lounge area, a gold-lined spa, an ice room, and a LED color sauna. There is a heated floor on which you can pass out quietly for as long as you’d like.

Heading up the stairs, there is another quiet, nap-inducing room with several soft recliners, each with a personal TV. These are almost always full, but the dark room is very tempting. At the top of the stairs is an incongruous, baseball-game like snack stand with corn dogs and baked eggs, but to the right is a full bar. Like treatments, drinks are also a bit steep, though not out of line with clubs- $8 for beers, and $14 for frozen drinks like Mai Tais.

This floor has pools similar to those in the locker room, but the area is co-ed, so if you go with a date, you may spend a lot of time here. Also, there is a swim up bar, which is pretty awesome. But just outside the door is the Bade Pool, Spa Castle’s crowning glory. It may be a rooftop in Flushing rather than the top of an Alpine mountain, but it’s pretty amazing.

The Bade Pool has two halves, and is open year-round. (During my first visit, in January, it was snowing and magical.) There are keys that explain what each set of massage stalls does, but part of the fun is trying them all out. To the right, a series of high-powered “waterfalls” allow for a hands-off massage, and to the far left, a wood-lined jacuzzi is usually crowded but not un-relaxing.

If you’re looking to relax, unwind and be pampered in quiet, Spa Castle may not be for you. But if you want a fun, social and spa-like experience, Spa Castle is perfect for events or a mini-getaway.

Have you been to Spa Castle? Would you go back?

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Filed Under: Beauty Tagged: spa castle, spa castle new york, spa castle pictures, spa castle review, spa reviews, spas

Gift Guide: Is Your Mom a Beauty Junkie, Too?

May 5, 2011

Mothers Day gift guide

Nearly every Mothers’ Day, I find myself reaching for a beauty-related gift for my mom even though it usually feels like she has everything. Perhaps it’s more a reflection on me and my predilections that I always select for her something beauty related- a service, a bottle of her favorite perfume or something that has a GWP. Cosmetics, fragrance and spa gifts seem like an easy choice, until you realize you’ve selected similar for every previous incarnation of the holiday, as well as birthdays and Christmas.

If you’re stuck this year, don’t panic. New and limited-edition options are introduced often, so there’s always something you can find that will probably delight the pickiest of moms. Here are five ideas for Mothers’ Day gifts for the beauty-junkie mommy:

1.) Eve Lom Travel Set: While women of all skin types are known to favor Eve Lom products, the rich and luxurious feel of the products resonate particularly well with women of a certain age. Eve Lom Cleanser is one of my desert island all time favorites, and this little kit includes a 15ml version with a muslin cloth, 15ml of Rescue Mask, 15ml of Moisturizer SPF 15, 15ml of TLC Cream and 15ml of Hand Cream- with a cute little white leather travel bag, too.

2.) A Spa Service: Location, preference and your mom’s skin type (for instance, you don’t want to gift your uber-sensitive skin having mom with a full-body salt scrub) will influence what spa service fits her best. Mani-pedis generally always work, unless your mom is really ticklish. An established and classic but still innovative spa like the Mandarin Oriental in NYC is an excellent choice for mom and daughter spa days.

3.) A Treatment Product: A spa day can be glorious, but a treatment product is pampering every day- a particularly nice gift if your momma lives far away and you want her to think about you. Philosophy’s Miracle Worker A.M. Duo has antioxidant infused pads and a serum to clear away dull, dead cells and renew skin. A gift like this is nice because it’s luxurious but also has a nice cumulative effect.

4.) Custom Fragrance/Sets: I shall acknowledge the caveat that most moms already have a signature fragrance, and it’s probably one you know well and associate with your mom. However, some women are adventurous with their favorite perfumes and some never settle down with one particular scent. For those moms, a custom blended Jo Malone fragrance set might be a thoughtful and one-of-a-kind gift that fits very well- or she could use the scents individually.

5.) A pretty, feminine makeup kit: Makeup as a gift is a bit tricky unless you know the recipient is really in love with a particular product, and then in that case, it kind of takes out a tiny bit of the fun because they aren’t being delighted by something new. A kit composed of popular products kind of has the best of both worlds, because it contains old favorites and often a new twist- like this adorable pink makeup kit from Yves Saint Laurent. Eye makeup remover, cult-favorite Touche Éclat and Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils come with a logo-ed little bag, and all items are usable whether your mom’s style is natural or a bit more vampy.

Have you selected a Mothers’ Day gift yet? Do you have a stock standard you know pleases your mom?

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Filed Under: Beauty Tagged: jo malone, Mother's Day, mothers day gifts, spas, YSL, yves saint laurent

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